Chapter 82 Aesthetic Pleasure

eart."No way! I won't go there ever again," Yun Muhan said coldly."Han'er, what nonsense are you talking The Emperor allowed you to accompany the princess for a while. How can you not go Moon now has...Chapter 82: A Pleasant Sight

Night Tianqiong clutched his arm, his face pale and green as he stared at Mo Li.

Moi's expression was cold, with not even a hint of warmth in his eyes.

Night Tianqiong didn't doubt for a moment that if he were to forcefully enter or attack him, Mo Li would surely not hold back. His martial arts skills were far inferior to Mo Li’s. If he were to act again, the piece of sleeve garment wouldn’t be the only thing lost; it could lead to even greater losses. With a gloomy expression in his phoenix eyes, he didn't dare to make any rash moves. However, after all these years, no one had dared to treat him so arrogantly; thus, he couldn't help but feel angry and turned to Yun Meng with resentment: "Grand Guardian Yun! This is how your guards protect the prince Such audacity!"

Yun Meng was drenched in cold sweat. He hadn’t expected Mo Li would actually dare to take action against the Prince. Collecting his thoughts, he bowed respectfully towards Night Tianqiong: "Your Highness, please forgive him. It’s not entirely his fault. He is a personal bodyguard for our Lady and follows only her orders. Even if Your Highness ordered him, he wouldn’t necessarily comply."

"A loyal guard indeed! Yet why did such loyalty lead to Moon's injury How can you keep a guard who fails in their duty" Night Tianqiong was seething but kept his anger under control as he glared at Mo Li.

“Our Lady only has this single bodyguard. The assassin, however, was one among a hundred dead bodies. In such a dangerous situation where one is outnumbered by hundreds, it’s understandable that the guard could not prevent the injury,” Yun Meng explained patiently despite his displeasure towards Night Tianqiong.

Night Tianqiong coldly snorted but before he could speak again, laughter echoed from behind: "I heard this courtyard was bustling far away. I wondered who it would be! It’s none other than the Crown Prince of Heavenly Saint!" With a broad smile, he continued: "Indeed, one cannot imagine how magnificent Your Highness is until seeing you in person."

Night Tianqiong abruptly turned to see Nan Lingrui walking in.

Nan Lingrui wasn’t dressed as the Crown Prince of Western Liang but wore a splendid brocade robe and jade belt. Due to illness from being tricked by Rong Jing yesterday, he had an unusually pale complexion today, swinging his fan with ladies painted on it while walking unsteadily. His gaze fixed on the half-cut sleeve Mo Li caused, his laughter was unrestrainedly mocking.

Seeing Nan Lingrui’s sneering smile and obvious mockery in words, Night Tianqiong's face darkened instantly. He glared coldly at Nan Lingrui, forcing a smile as he watched the latter walk unsteadily: "So it is Crown Prince of Southern Liang! Your unique charm indeed dazzles me."

"Of course! My unique charm isn’t something others can imitate," Nan Lingrui laughed heartily without noticing Night Tianqiong’s sarcasm. His fan unfolded to reveal a lady painted with countless charms.

Night Tianqiong had not expected Nan Lingrui would be so shameless; he frowned at him: "Crown Prince of Southern Liang, you should be staying in the palace but why are you here This is Moon’s residence. You wouldn’t forget such an important place"

"Of course I know! Last night, I even had a feast here," Nan Lingrui replied with a smile and enigmatically added: "In fact, this morning, I instructed my luggage to be moved to the Yun Manor; for the days in Heavenly Saint, I will stay here."

Upon hearing this, Night Tianqiong's heart sank. He raised his eyebrows sharply, saying, "You said you're moving into Yun Manor"

"Yes!" Nan Lingrui nodded and smiled: "Your ears are not deaf; I didn't speak incorrectly."

"The Emperor has assigned a palace for you to reside in. Why do you disobey and stay here This is defying the Emperor’s orders," Night Tianqiong raised an eyebrow, his face turning cold as he glared at Nan Lingrui.

“I had an upset stomach last night and need rest here; Yun Manor has to take responsibility for my health. I already reported this matter to Heavenly Saint's Emperor today, and he agreed,” Nan Lingrui ignored Night Tianqiong’s displeasure and continued with a smile: "And it was Miss Shallow Moon who invited me to stay here! How could I refuse her hospitality"

"She asked you to stay here" Night Tianqiong suddenly recalled yesterday's report about Nan Lingrui coming to Yun Manor, but he had been too angry over the marriage proposal incident and didn’t pay much attention. Now, he wondered if Moon really invited him She refused Feng and insisted on marrying only him; now she’s cozying up with Southern Liang’s Crown Prince again. What is her intention

“Would I deceive you” Nan Lingrui withdrew his gaze and assured: “If you doubt it, you can ask Miss Shallow Moon directly.”

Yun Meng stood aside, sweating profusely; he thought this Southern Liang Crown Prince was truly ruthless. He knew Mo Li was here making entry impossible for the prince but still insisted on mentioning it.

Night Tianqiong's forehead veins throbbed as anger boiled over. However, considering Nan Lingrui’s status as Heavenly Saint’s esteemed guest, he suppressed his fury and said in a low voice: “If Moon invited you and received imperial approval, then by all means stay here. I was merely concerned Yun Manor might not provide the same luxuries as the palace."

"Yun Manor isn’t on par with a palace but Miss Shallow Moon’s presence makes it feel like heaven; thus, there's no need for you to worry about me," Nan Lingrui shook his fan and walked closer to Night Tianqiong: "I heard that Miss Shallow Moon and Prince Jing were targeted by assassins. This capital is far too dangerous for me to stay in the palace any longer."

Night Tianqiong narrowed his eyes, looking at Nan Lingrui.

Approaching closer, Nan Lingrui whispered mysteriously: "I also heard about what Prince Jing said about a young lady being fit for Empress. Yet shortly after, she was targeted by assassins; this is very suspicious!"

Night Tianqiong's thoughts stirred slightly.

"You say that Miss Qianyue is just a little girl who can be described as nonsensical, yet someone actually tried to assassinate her. Isn't that laughable She’s living proof of being useless; who could possibly not even tolerate such a person" Nan Lingrui seemed to have found an outlet for his words and treated Night Tianqiong like a close friend, "However, it might be because she has been dragged into this due to the Prince Shi. The Prince Shi is the first genius of Heavenly Saint; when we were in the study hall, didn’t His Majesty of Heavenly Saint say that with Prince Shi around, they could match ten thousand troops Some people want to do harm against Heavenly Saint and have harmed Prince Shi."

Night Tianqiong remained silent as he continued watching Nan Lingrui. The coldness had dissipated from his gaze, but it was unclear what he was thinking.

Nan Lingrui leaned in even closer, placing an arm around Night Tianqiong’s shoulder and whispering without any guile, "Prince Tian of Heavenly Night, I didn’t expect Heavenly Saint to be so tumultuous. If I had known this earlier, I would never have come here. Not only did someone attempt to assassinate Prince Shi from the Honor王府的景世子和雲王府唯一的嫡女。不過本太子來了也不後悔，這天聖的姑娘小姐們實在是太讓本太子心動了。尤其是煙柳樓的素素姑娘，那身段軟得都能滴出水來，那眼睛媚得，勾去了本太子的靈魂，還有那個……”

“睿太子！”夜天傾本來想從南淩睿口中套出些有用的訊息來，也想藉此判定南淩睿的想法，看他是否對天聖圖謀不軌。畢竟南梁日漸坐大，但是冇想到這個南淩睿腦子裡都裝得是這些東西，說著說著就下道了，他冇那麼多時間在這裡跟他閒扯，推開他，冷冷地看了一眼莫離，對雲孟道：“我不過是聽說月妹妹受傷，擔心她身體，特意過來看看。既然她在休息，那我明日再來。”

“老奴會告知我家小姐的。”雲孟立即躬身。

“本太子還要進宮和父皇稟告徹查此事，睿太子既然身體不適，還是好好養病為好。若是睿太子在天聖照顧不周的訊息傳回南梁，南梁王還以為我天聖欺負了他的太子！”夜天傾看向南淩睿。

“哈哈，我父王啊，冇問題！”南淩睿滿不在乎。

夜天傾不再理會南淩睿，轉身出了淺月閣，一如來時一般腳步匆匆向外走去。

南淩睿看著夜天傾離開，直到夜天傾的身影消失不見，他才收回視線，對著仕女圖一笑，對雲孟道：“你說這夜太子是不是很有意思？”

雲孟點頭也不是搖頭也不是，對著南淩睿一禮，壓低聲音道：“睿太子，我們在這裡吵到小姐定會睡不安穩。依老奴看您身體不適，還是回房休息吧！”

“彆說就兩個人，就算兩千人，你家小姐隻要不想理會，也能安穩地入睡。”南淩睿看著雲淺月的房間，冇有要走的意思。

“這院子裡還住著景世子呢！景世子可是個喜靜的人。”雲孟低聲提醒道。

“哦？景世子也住在這裡？”南淩睿轉頭看向雲孟。

“是的，小姐傷勢很重，老王爺留下景世子為小姐診治。”雲孟點頭。提及雲淺月的傷勢，他的臉上不免掛滿憂色。

“景世子的確是個喜靜的人，既然如此，本太子就不進去了。還是去和老王爺下棋好了。雖然老王爺的棋藝不如我，但聊以解悶也好。”南淩睿轉身欲走。

雲孟嘴角抽了一下，明明昨日睿太子與老王爺下了棋輸了，今日居然不知羞恥地說老王爺棋藝不好，他不敢與這位睿太子爭辯，隻能輕聲提醒，“睿太子，老王爺和王爺剛剛進宮了。您還是回房歇著吧！”

“原來他們已經進宮了啊！”南淩睿皺眉道，隨即擺手說道，“那你去把煙柳樓的素素姑娘給我叫來，她的歌聲不錯，正好解悶。”

雲孟一驚，“睿太子，這裡是雲王府，那煙柳樓的女人怎麼能隨便進來？”

“她哪裡是隨便進來的？不是有本太子的命令嗎！”南淩睿滿不在乎地對雲孟發號施令道：“還不快去！否則我就在這裡不走，讓你家小姐和景世子都睡不好覺。”

雲孟臉色難看地看著南淩睿，“睿太子恕罪，這等要求老奴做不到。雲王府何其尊貴？豈是煙花女子玷汙得了的？”

“雲王爺的小妾不也是從望春樓出來的嗎？本太子不過是讓她來唱幾首曲子罷了。你怎麼這麼多廢話。昨日老王爺不是說過的，我在府中所求都可滿足。”南淩睿瞪眼。

“這……”雲孟一時語塞。想起昨晚老王爺的那句話交代，他不明白老王爺為何如此順從這位睿太子，不僅讓他住進了雲王府，還任由他在府裡隨意走動，並且答應有求必應。

“還不快去！”南淩睿催促道。

“睿太子，府中有歌姬的，您要解悶還不容易？老奴這就將歌姬叫到你房中就是了。何必非要煙柳樓的素素？”雲孟想來個折中的辦法。

"No, Prince Nan Lingrui insists that he wants SuSu. Can the singing girls in your mansion sing as well as SuSu Can they be as beautiful and charming as SuSu Can their skin be as fair as SuSu's" Nan Lingrui refused to comply.

"Molie, throw him out," Rong Jing's voice suddenly echoed from inside the room.

Nan Lingrui was taken aback. He hadn't expected Rong Jing to still be in Yun Qianmo’s room. He looked at the curtained and tightly shut door with an incredulous gaze, unable to see anything through it.

"Yes!" Molie had been wanting to throw Nan Lingrui out for a long time now. Upon hearing Rong Jing's order, he quickly moved forward.

"Hey, aren't you Moon’s guard Why are you following his orders" Nan Lingrui pointed at Molie as he said this. His body was weak and trembling; it wasn’t hard for Molie to throw him out now.

Molie paused in his steps but soon appeared beside Nan Lingrui, instantly pinning down his shoulder with a light twist of the wrist, sending him flying out.

Yun Meng also hadn't expected Rong Jing to still be in Yun Qianmo’s room. He was surprised when he saw Molie actually throw Prince Nan Lingrui out and quickly followed after him. He knew how skilled Molie was; the current Prince Nan Lingrui, though a distinguished guest, had been tormented by laxatives overnight and could not use his martial arts skills now. This fall would be too much for him to bear if he landed badly. If the prince got injured in Yun Qianmo’s residence and caused the Southern Liang King to erupt into rage, even Emperor Yu Tianqing wouldn’t be pleased; it would mean bad luck for Yun Manor.

Prince Nan Lingrui’s body spun around mid-air before landing softly near the lake not far from Qianyue Pavilion. This was precisely the same lake where Phoenix Concubine was thrown into last time.

Yun Meng arrived shortly after to find Prince Nan Lingrui unharmed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Nan Lingrui glanced at the lakeside no more than half a step away from where his foot landed. Had Molie exerted just a bit more force, he would have turned into a drowned rat. He let out an exclamation before looking down and seeing that his jade fan was still intact. Satisfied with this fact, he raised his head to smile at Yun Meng who was still pale-faced: "Fortunately, my jade fan didn’t break."

Yun Meng stared blankly at the painting on the fan depicting a reclining woman.

"Oh my! I never expected that Prince Jing has such capabilities and can actually stay overnight in Qianyue Pavilion," Nan Lingrui, who had stepped back from the lakeside, looked up at the pavilion. He then leaned close to Yun Meng and whispered: "What do you think would happen if Night Tianqiong knew that Prince Jing was staying in Moon’s boudoir"

Yun Meng did not reply. Reflecting on what happened today, he thought Prince Jing must have been keeping propriety as a gentleman; it was already dusk and the prince should be leaving by now. Could it be that Miss Yun's injuries were too serious for him to leave If this news went out, Prince Jing and Miss Qianyue would certainly become targets of malicious gossip... But recalling what had happened yesterday regarding Prince Jing and his mistress, he felt confused.

"Do you think Night Tianqiong will be furious" asked Nan Lingrui again.

Yun Meng frowned but still did not reply.

"I reckon it’s unlikely. Miss Qin from the Chancellor's family is a talented woman, whereas your mistress doesn’t know anything about these matters. Night Tianqiong isn't stupid; why would he be unaware of the pros and cons" Nan Lingrui waved his fan with an expression that said "I know everything."

Yun Meng had no idea what Prince Nan Lingrui was thinking. If it were to be believed that he desired Yun Qianmo, she didn’t seem like someone who would attract him. But if he was a playboy... His brows and eyes seemed too clear and cold for such a reputation. Even so, the prince’s character remained mysterious to Yun Meng, no wonder the old king treated him differently from other princes. He bowed respectfully towards Prince Nan Lingrui: "My mistress's injury is very serious; it must be difficult for Prince Jing to handle. Therefore, he might have stayed in her room until now. Your Highness, I advise you return and rest. If you still wish to hear SuSu sing, I will instruct someone to bring her here."

"Forget about it! I was startled by the fall; why would I want to listen to songs I should go back and rest!" Prince Nan Lingrui waved his hand dismissively as he shuffled towards the room that had been arranged for him near Old King’s courtyard.

Seeing that this "deity" finally calmed down, Yun Meng wiped off his sweat before heading towards the main gate.

"Head Administrator, Miss Qin from the Chancellor's family is here to visit Miss Qianmo!" Just as Yun Meng walked a few steps away, a guard hurriedly approached him and reported.

Before Yun Meng could respond, Prince Nan Lingrui turned back: "Just in time, I’ve heard that Miss Qin is very talented and should be fit for the role of queen. And they say she’s quite good at playing the guqin and singing songs; let her come inside so I can see what she’s capable of."

"This... Prince Nan Lingrui, it might not be appropriate," Yun Meng looked helplessly towards the prince while silently cursing the guard for his untimely report.

“What’s inappropriate about it Qianmo needs to rest now; no one should disturb her. But we can’t just send Miss Qin away like this; after all, she is a guest here! I’ll go and entertain her on Moon's behalf.” Prince Nan Lingrui continued speaking as he walked towards the main gate with an assured step.

Today was Yun Meng’s third time feeling speechless because of Prince Nan Lingrui. Did this make him the master of Yun Manor How could a guest be in charge of welcoming another guest He knew that it would be futile to try and stop Prince Nan Lingrui now, so he followed after him.

As Yun Meng and Prince Nan Lingrui left, Qianyue Pavilion finally returned to its quiet state once more.

Outside, Cai Lian and the others moved quietly to do their work without making any noise. Mo Li also withdrew.

In the room, it seemed that Cloud Qianyue didn’t know about what happened just now outside and was still sleeping soundly. Rong Jing ignored everything outside as well and continued to sleep.

Qianyue Manor was silent.

In comparison to the quietness of Qianyue Manor, there had been a continuous stream of people coming to Cloud Prince Wang’s front gate and courtyard.

After Nite Qin left, Qin Yuceng came. After he was warmly entertained by Nan Lingrui and left, Rong Lilan and the Sixth Princess arrived. The Sixth Princess originally went to Glory Manor but waited for a long time without seeing Rong Jing return home. Later when she learned that Rong Jing and Cloud Qianyue had been assassinated, she hurriedly came over to Cloud Prince Wang’s place. Yun Meng hadn’t even managed to keep the two at the gate before Nan Lingrui invited them in and entertained them warmly again. Afterward, many people who received news of this continued to come one after another. They included young ladies from their homes and sons from various mansions; most of them came from Glory Manor’s rooms and courtyards. These people almost broke the threshold of Cloud Prince Wang’s place. Nan Lingrui enjoyed it so much that he entertained everyone warmly regardless of gender.

When the sun set and the moon rose to its zenith, only then did Cloud Prince Wang’s front gate finally quiet down completely.

Nan Lingrui was utterly exhausted; when he could no longer keep his eyes open from tiredness, he went back to his own room and slept heavily.

Yun Meng was also utterly exhausted. Originally, he could have closed the door to refuse guests but this Prince Zhuo insisted on entertaining everyone warmly. This time around, it left him utterly exhausted as well, making life miserable for his old bones.

The Old Cloud King and the Cloud King, as well as Yun Muhan, didn’t return home. The Old Cloud King and the Cloud King remained in the palace while Yun Muhan led a group of imperial guards to seal Tian Sheng City based on the old emperor’s decree and search every household one by one. The citizens were thrown into a panic.

In Holy Yang Hall inside the palace, officials from various departments as well as senior ministers like Old Cloud King, Duke Ding, Queen Dowager Xiao, and Duke Rong who hadn’t attended court in years all came back to attend court again. The old emperor and the officials discussed into the night about the assassination of Cloud Qianyue and Rong Jing by a hundred elite killers. There was no cessation of lights in Holy Yang Hall throughout that night.

That night, apart from Qianyue Manor at Cloud Prince Wang’s place and Purple Bamboo Courtyard at Glory Manor, Tian Sheng Kingdom remained brightly lit with not even one household sleeping.

No matter how bloody the events outside were or how many people stayed up all night because of it, the main characters in this assassination incident—Rong Jing and Cloud Qianyue—were soundly asleep together at Qianyue Manor.

The next day when dawn broke, only then did Cloud Qianyue wake up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Rong Jing lying beside her. Her originally clear face turned gloomy in an instant as she angrily said, "How dare you lie with me!"

Rong Jing had already woken up long ago and looked at Cloud Qianyue helplessly. He sighed slowly, saying, “Did you forget what happened yesterday I was worried that you might bump your injured arm so I stayed the whole night to watch over you without sleeping. Instead of thanking me, you give me a cold stare upon waking up; it’s truly heart-breaking.”

Cloud Qianyue frowned as she recalled the events from yesterday in an instant and her face improved slightly but she still said with a serious expression, “Now that dawn is here, don’t tell me you intend to lie next to me all day. If I hadn’t woken up just now, would you have kept lying there”

"I do want to leave, but your head was pressing against my arm the whole night; how am I supposed to get out" Rong Jing sighed again. People always said women were the gentlest creatures but he didn’t see any gentleness in her at all. Cloud Qianyue only now noticed that her head was still resting on his arm and she had snuggled close into him, causing her body to stiffen for a moment before she suddenly got up from bed, pointing at Rong Jing as she wanted to say something but then saw that there wasn’t even an inch of space left beside him; if they squeezed any more, they would fall off the bed. She also noticed Rong Jing looking at her with innocent eyes and waiting for her to blow a fuse so she paused before scolding with flushed cheeks, "You deserve it! Who asked you to watch over me If you hadn’t held my arm, my injury wouldn’t have been affected."

"That can’t be said for sure. You slept like a pig and rolled around all night long; if I didn’t hold your arm, you would’ve torn open the wound by now and bled to death," Rong Jing looked at Cloud Qianyue’s flushed face and ears and thought she seemed more like a woman when embarrassed.

"You were the one who slept like a pig," Cloud Qianyue admitted that her sleeping posture was indeed poor but it was the first time someone had bluntly criticized her, so she harrumphed before kicking him with an annoyed expression. "Hurry up and get up! I want to eat lotus flower fried fish; you make it."

"I can’t get up; my arm is numb," Rong Jing withdrew his gaze and lay still.

Cloud Qianyue wasn’t convinced, saying, "Stop pretending. Get up immediately."

Rong Jing closed his eyes and said in a mournful voice, “I was pressed against you all night so I’m truly stiff from being awake; how can I get up You’ve been watched over by me for the whole night, but this is how you treat me That’s too unreasonable.”

Cloud Qianyue looked at Rong Jing. Seeing his face was in good condition and he didn’t look like someone who had a poor sleep due to her all night long, she saw that his limbs were indeed stiff as they hadn’t moved an inch since morning so she hesitated for a moment before reaching out with a displeased expression to help him up.

At this time, the door was pushed open and the curtain was thrown aside. A person rushed in like a gust of wind. The person froze when he saw the scene inside, staring at them both incredulously, “Little miss, delicate man, you… you…”

The one who came rushing in was none other than Night Qingran!

Cloud Qianyue’s hand that was reaching out to help Rong Jing froze when she saw it was Night Qingran; she turned her head to see him and immediately relaxed the alertness she had raised. Seeing him looking exhausted with a cold aura, his clothes covered in dust, he hadn’t combed or washed up, she couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment before smiling and saying, "What’s wrong Didn’t sleep all night How did you end up like this"

Night Qingran was still dazed, looking at Rong Jing lying in the bed and the quilt covering both of them. He pointed at Rong Jing with his finger and asked Yun Qianyue, "This weak beauty… How did he end up here"

He’s even on her bed!

Yun Qianyue huffed and showed Night Qingran the injured arm, saying, "Look. I got hurt trying to save him. So naturally, he has to stay here to take care of me. My sleeping posture is not good, so someone needs to keep an eye on me. Who else can do it other than him This injury was sustained for his sake."

Only then did Night Qingran look at Yun Qianyue's arm. Seeing her arm wrapped in white bandages several times over, he put away his surprise and disdainfully rebuked Rong Jing, "You're a disgrace! You let a woman take the brunt of an attack for you Do you still have the face to live"

Still lying on the bed, Rong Jing said slowly, "She was worried that I might get hurt and bravely offered to shield me from the weapon. How can it be my fault Why would I feel ashamed of living"

"Nonsense! Your worry is nonsense. I'm worried about my twelve golden…" Yun Qianyue glared at Rong Jing in anger, but stopped suddenly before finishing her sentence and kicked him hard with her foot, then shouted angrily, "Get up and make me some lotus-flower fried fish right now!"

Rong Jing endured the kick from Yun Qianyue. He sighed at her, saying, "Your habit of kicking people is really bad. It needs to change."

Yun Qianyue huffed and retracted her foot, saying, "Get up quickly! Until when do you plan on lying here"

"It’s not that I don’t want to get up. Didn’t I tell you earlier that I was numb from being squished by your body all night long" Rong Jing said helplessly and guiltily while facing Yun Qianyue's anger, never changing his calmness.

Yun Qianyue reached out and pulled him up, then pushed him to the ground. She warned him, "Say another word and I’ll throw you out."

Rong Jing staggered a step but managed to grab onto the bed before falling down. He looked at Yun Qianyue, didn’t say anything this time, but turned around and walked stiffly towards the basin of clean water for washing his face.

Yun Qianyue ignored Rong Jing and started putting on her clothes with one hand as she got out of bed.

Night Qingran watched Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing’s actions, feeling a bit dazed. After a while, he still couldn’t figure out what was going on. He felt that something wasn’t right, but couldn’t pinpoint the issue. He shook his head to clear his mind and said angrily to Yun Qianyue, "Little girl, how did this black-hearted weak beauty end up in your room Isn’t that inviting a wolf into your house"

Yun Qianyue got out of bed and patted Night Qingran's shoulder with her uninjured hand. Seeing his bewildered face, she smiled and said, "Who knows who’s the wolf and who’s the house He may seem black-hearted, but he has good character, so what can he do to harm me" She didn’t want to elaborate further and asked Night Qingran, "You still haven’t told us how you’re feeling. Did you not sleep last night Were you investigating that unknown assailant Did you get any leads"

Night Qingran looked at Rong Jing who was washing his face behind him with ease as if he were in his own house and turned to Yun Qianyue, seeing no awkwardness or anger from her. He thought that what she said made sense; there wouldn’t be any issues between them like this if they had a problem. He dismissed the discomfort caused by finding Rong Jing on Yun Qianyue’s bed and answered seriously, "Prince Muhan and I investigated all night but only found some clues which aren't really useful. This series of assassinations was meticulously planned with no flaws. The assassins seemed to have appeared from nowhere, indicating that the person behind it is a skilled individual. It's the first time I've encountered such an adversary."

Yun Qianyue had already predicted that those black-clothed assassins and their hidden attacker were well-prepared and not easily discovered by Night Qingran or Prince Muhan.

"Highly skilled Could it be you’re a failure" Rong Jing looked back at Night Qingran.

“You aren’t a failure, but that’s why the little girl got injured! You must be very capable to be called the first genius of the Imperial Academy. I think you should be renamed as the number one waste material of the Imperial Academy for your dependency on women and weapons. Are you ashamed" Night Qingran was infuriated by Rong Jing's words, especially since he had been up all night doing nothing but getting criticized.

"Ashamed The title ‘First Genius’ is bestowed upon me by the Emperor. I never said I’m a genius. As it is, I can’t lift a finger and am currently without martial arts skills; naturally, I’m just a waste material. You’re not wrong. Where’s your skill compared to Prince Ranyan who was toyed around with by the Southern Border’s First Beauty I don't measure up." Rong Jing wiped his face while speaking gently.

Yun Qianyue thought of how Night Qingran had been toyed around with by the Southern Border's First Beauty and wondered what kind of story it was behind that.

"Weak beauty, if you dare to mention Ye Qian again, I’ll cripple you right here!" Night Qingran’s forehead veins were about to burst from anger as he said this.

"Fine, fine. I won’t say it anymore. She’s your beloved, naturally she can’t be mentioned by others." Rong Jing put down his handkerchief and said gently to Yun Qianyue, "It takes a long time to make lotus-flower fried fish. It's getting late now. We’ll just have something else for today, right Your injury won't heal overnight anyway; I’ll stay here for a few days more. How about I cook it for you another day"

Yun Qianyue looked at the sky and nodded her head, "Alright."

Rong Jing glanced at Mother Zhao Cai Lian who was standing outside the door, and those people quickly went away.

"Weak beauty, I never said that Ye Qian is my…" Night Qingran felt it necessary to correct Rong Jing’s misunderstanding. He didn’t want him to use Ye Qian to provoke him again.

"Alright, he's just jealous that the most beautiful woman in Nanjiang likes you. Don't bother with him. Tell me about yesterday's events - how did the Emperor and my grandfather discuss it Where were those corpses taken Did the Emperor issue an urgent order to Nanjiang" Yun Qianyue thought about what happened between Ye Qian and Nie Qingyan, though she didn’t understand much of it, but from Rong Jing and Nan Lingrui's conversation, she had a rough idea. The beautiful woman used to be close with Nan Lingrui, but later fell for Ye Qian instead, setting up traps to tease him several times until she won his heart and they committed themselves to each other. This story sounds dramatic, maybe many people would envy Ye Qian's good fortune, but the protagonist, Ye Qian probably feels embarrassed about it, thus why he gets angry every time Rong Jing mentions it. She hurriedly helped him find an excuse.

Ye Qian was interrupted halfway through and turned to look at Yun Qianyue with a strange expression on his face.

Rong Jing’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he smiled, pulling the corners of his mouth up in satisfaction. He said to Yun Qianyue, "What you said is right; I am indeed jealous. He has spent seven years training outside and traveling all around rivers and mountains, while I have been confined within the borders of Rong王府. How could such a thing not make one’s heart boil with resentment So from now on, you should be nicer to me instead of him. He has the most beautiful woman in Nanjiang, but there is no one by my side."

Yun Qianyue frowned and huffed, "Being nice to you isn’t impossible, it depends on how you behave."

Rong Jing smiled faintly and said softly, “Alright, I’ll definitely do my best.”

Only then did Yun Qianyue feel satisfied.

Ye Qian watched the two of them but only now realized that Rong Jing had subtly put him in an awkward situation. He couldn’t make it obvious either way, leaving Ye Qian speechless and glaring at Yun Qianyue with frustration as he gritted his teeth and said, "Little brat, I’m telling you, nothing happened between me and Ye Qian! There was no mutual affection or solemn vows; all of that is this weak woman’s imagination."

Yun Qianyue turned to look at Ye Qian with a blink. “Nothing”

"Yes, absolutely nothing!" Ye Qian answered seriously. He had never done anything inappropriate, so it was easy for him to deny it firmly and straighten his back.

Seeing Ye Qian’s solemn expression, Yun Qianyue suddenly smiled. She patted his shoulder again and said warmly, "Alright, I understand that nothing happened between you two. Come on, mutual affection isn’t something to be ashamed of. What could possibly be the problem"

The color drained from Ye Qian's face as he stared at Yun Qianyue angrily, emphasizing his denial, "I said there’s nothing!"

“Alright then. No more questions about it. You’ve been busy all night; go wash up and have your meal here! After you finish eating, we’ll discuss who dared to send someone to kill me and what I should do to the culprit.” Yun Qianyue waved him towards the basin of water.

Ye Qian wanted to explain more but saw that Yun Qianyue had already sat in front of a mirror and ignored him. She turned to Rong Jing, "What are you standing there for Come over here and comb my hair."

"Sure!" Rong Jing smiled as he walked over and skillfully combed Yun Qianyue's black tresses with the brush.

Ye Qian watched them but swallowed back his explanations. Frowning, he stared at Rong Jing’s hand movements and said to Yun Qianyue, "Little brat, don’t you know that not just anyone can comb your hair This is something reserved for someone in the future…"

"Oh come on, there’s no need for so much fuss. My hands are injured; I can't braid my own hair and besides, I’m clueless about how to do it properly. Look around you, only you two are here in this room. Could you comb hair" Yun Qianyue raised her eyebrows at Ye Qian.

Ye Qian shook his head; he was not about to braid a woman’s hair.

"Then there's no problem, see him as a laborer and make use of him," Yun Qianyue said. She turned away from the reminder that only her husband could comb her hair in ancient times, frowning slightly at the reflection of Rong Jing behind her who was as handsome as jade and with perfect features. She thought to herself, if my future husband looks like this man, then it wouldn't be a bad thing to look at him every day while he combs my hair.

———

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Press the left and right keys on your keyboard to flip through pages.lunteered to boil the dumplings and pulled Rong Feng into it, taking over Lady Zhao’s job. Lady Zhao followed Yun Qianyue’s instructions and prepared some light dishes while Ting Xue and Ting Yu helpe...